1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the storage art and, more particularly, to an arrangement for storing tape cassettes, eight track tape cartridges and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in utilization of tape cassettes, tape cartridges, and the like in both private and commercial applications. This increase in utilization of such structures has necessitated arrangements for storage thereof. Preferably, the storage arrangement for such structures provides easy access to the stored cassettes, cartridges, or the like, as well as indexing of particular such structures, so that the location within the storage arrangement of a particular tape cassette or tape cartridge may be rapidly and easily ascertained.
Prior art structures utilized for storing such tape cassettes or cartridges have not proven completely satisfactory. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,738, there is shown a storage arrangement for holding tape cassettes which is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis. Rotation about a vertical axis has, in many applications, proven impractical and/or inconvenient. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,962,287 shows a cassette storage arrangement wherein a drum is provided mounted for rotation about a vertical axis and the drum has provisions for accepting a plurality of tape cassettes. While this patent mentions that the drum may be rotated about a horizontal axis, there is no particular recitation therein, nor any showing of, a braking arrangement to prevent the rotation of the drum, if it should be mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, under the force of gravity when the drum may be in an unsymmetrically loaded condition such that the weight of stored cassettes and/or cartridges provides a moment for rotation about such a horizontal axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,738 shows a cassette holder mounted for rotation about a vertical axis, but does not show any arrangement for braking or restraining the rotational movement of the structure utilized for holding cassettes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,720 shows a non-rotating type of storage arrangement which includes an access door to provide access to the stored tape cassettes and/or cartridges maintained therein.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,601,249 shows another "carousel" type of arrangement for storing magnetic tape reels in which the drum for holding the tape reels is mounted for rotation about a vertical axis.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,057,305 shows another "carousel" type of arrangement for rotation about a horizontal axis wherein the carousel holds a plurality of tape cassettes, but has no "braking" provision and has not proven to be adaptable to all applications.
None of the above mentioned prior art devices can provide a convenient tape cassette and/or tape cartridge storage arrangement in which the tape cassettes and/or cartridges are mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, which structure is often desired for convenience and accessibility and storage.
Thus, there has long been a need for a storage arrangement for storing tape cassettes, tape cartridges, or the like, in a rotary holding arrangement wherein the holding arrangement is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis, but is restrained to remain in any given position.